Plaiting machine



1940- H. M. SUTHERLAND PLAITING MACHINE Filed March 14, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l A L Z; I; 8

1940- H. M. SUTHERLAND 2,225,456

PLAITING MACHINE Filed March 14, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZNVENTUF I v WMWWWQ 1 um (QMM ATT'URA/Eg Patented Dec. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFICE PLAITING MACHINE Holton M. Sutherland, Swampscott, Mass, assignor to Boston-Machine Works Company, Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 14, 1939, Serial No. 261,736 j p 11 Claims. (01. 12 51) The present invention relates to machines which are used in the manufacture of shoes to plait various shoe upper blanks.

The prevailing style trend requires shoes to be ornamented by a large number of plaits, and the shoe industry is embarrassed by its inability to produce themeconomically. For instance, in order to makea plaited shoe, it has been the common practise to mark the upper blank to be plaitedwith inked lines, which the operative uses as guides in forming the plaits by hand, the creases of the plaits whenf'formed coinciding as near as may be with theinked lines.

The principal object of the present invention is to make a plaiting machine by which the upper blank may be plaited' in arapid, reliable and "economic manner. I

To the accomplishment of this object, and such others as may appear hereinafter, the various features of the present invention reside incertain constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and then set forth broadly and in detail in. the appended claims which possess advantages readily understood by those skilled inthe art. r

, The various features of the present invention will be readily understood from an-inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which, l

Figure 1 is a detail view in left-side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective, showing the relationship between the work support, the piece of sheet material thereon, the hammer for pounding the plait, and the plaiting fingers;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in left-side elevation illustrating the position of the hammer near the end of the first half of itsidle stroke;

Fig. 5 is a similar detail view illustrating the position of the hammer near the end of the second half of its idle stroke;

Fig. 6 is a similar detail view illustrating the position of the hammer on its active stroke;

Fig. 7 is a similar detail view illustrating the position of the hammer on the first. quarter of its idle stroke; l

Fig. 8 isa detail view in plan illustrating the finished or grain face of the plaited work, and Fig. 9 is an enlarged view in sectional elevation of the unfinished or flesh face of the plaited work on the line 9--9, Fig. 8.

I In the illustratedembodiment of the invention, the piece of sheet material I0 is supported upon a roll work support II which is mounted in a vertical 'slot I2 formed in a yoke I3. The yoke carries a horizontal pin I4 upon which the roll is rotatably mounted. The yoke I3 slides vertically in a hollow pedestal I5 secured to the frame of the machine. The vertical movement of the yoke I3 is guided by a cylindrical extension I 6 thereon which slides in the bore of the pedestal, a pin I1 projecting rearwardly from the extension being engaged'by a vertical slot I8 in the pedestal; The roll I I is normally held elevated by a coiled spring I9 which is coiled about a post 20 depending from the extension I3 and interposed therebetween and a plug 2I threaded into the bore of the pedestal 'I5'at the lower end thereof. The roll Il may bedepressed against the tension of the spring I9 by suitable connections from a treadle-operated rod 22. The pin IT, in conjunction with the slot I8, serves the double function of keeping the roll in its proper alignment withthe hammer 23 and the work It, and at the same time limiting the upward movement of the roll I I by the spring I9.

Cooperating with the roll II is a hammer 23 having its work engaging face 24 roughened laterally and provided with a relief 25, (Fig. 3),

shaft 29. The lever 21 ,is',p rovided with a slot 30,

the vertical sides of which engage the grooved sides of a block 33a whioh is pivotally mounted on a horizontalfpin 3| projecting laterally from the machine frame. Withthis construction, the

lever 2'! is reciprocated on the block 30a and is oscillated on the pin;3I, thus imparting a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement to the hammer. f s

. In'orderto. plait the work, the machine is provided with two fingers 32 and 33 arranged to engage the opposite faces of the work, respectively. The finger 32 is formed with a narrow portion terminating in a' toe .34 and a wide portion terminating in a heel 35. The heel35 is secured to a slide 36 which is adjustably mounted in a way 3], (Fig.3), formed in a block 38 supported from the pedestalflti. ,The desired position of vertical adjustment of the finger 32 is maintained by a set screw 39 threaded into the block 38, the shank of the screwbeing embraced by a vertical slot 40 in the .slide 36QThe, block 38 is provided with a lower portion 48 threaded into the pedestal I5 and secured by -a lock nut 49, the construction permitting the lateral adjustment of the finger 32. 1 I

The finger 33is provided, also, with a narrow portion terminating ina toe 4| and with a wide portion terminating in a-heel 42. The heel 421s carried by. a plate on the lower end of a rod" 44 which is vertically'and-angularly adjustable in a yoked bracket secured to the machine frame, the desired position of vertical and angular adjustment being maintained by a set screw 46 engaged with the upper portion of the rod 44.

As shown most clearly in 3, the heels of .inwardly and upwardly.

the fingers 32 and 33 are spaced apart laterally and vertically, the heel 42 of the finger 33 being higher than the heel 35 of the finger 32, While the toes thereof are superimposed and spaced apart vertically, the adjacent sides of the fingers being arranged in parallel intersecting vertical planes. The toe 34 of the finger 32 toes slightly The toe M of the finger 33 toes inwardly and downwardly. With this construction, the toe of the finger 32 is located above the toe of the finger 33. i v

To plait the work, the piece of sheet material is first marked with guide lines and then, in the, area to be plaited, it is provided with an adhesive coating. The operative grasps the side edges of the piece l0 and introduces it between the V form by the heels of thefingers 32 and 33 in a position more horizontal than vertical. The piece is then pushed forwardly to locate the work between the toes of the fingers, thus to engage the toe 4| of the finger 33 with the unfinished or flesh face of the work and thetoe 34 of the finger 32 with the finished or grain face of the work, thereby making it possible for the hammer to engage the flesh face of the work.

As shown in Fig. 3, the Work is passed over the toe 34, in between the toes, and under the toe 4|, thus to form a plait 4'! before the leading edge of the work is located upon the work support beneath the hammer.' The hammer then pounds the plait to flatten it and to subject the adhesive faces of the plait to pressure. During its active stroke, the hammer feeds the Work and. then returns on its idle stroke to impart a blow to the succeeding portion of the plaited work. During the idle stroke of the hammer, the operative may swing the work laterally about the toes of the fingers, in order to produce a curvilinear plait, as indicated in Fig. 8.

The plaiting operation is repeated for each plait the sheet of material is intended to contain.

Nothing herein explained is to be interpreted as limiting the various features of the present invention in the scope of its application to use in connection with the particular machine or the particular mode of operation or both selected for purposes of illustration and explanation. While the particulars of construction herein set forth are well suited to one mechanical form of the invention and to the use to which itis put, it is not limited to this use, nor to these details of construction, nor to the conjoint use of all its features, nor is it to be understood that these particulars are essential since they may be modified within the skill of the artisan without departing from the true scope of the actual invention, characterizing features of which are set forth in the following claims by the intentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of various modifications.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. A plaiting machine having, in combination, means for supporting a piece of sheet material, means cooperating therewith for pounding a plait produced in the material in spaced relation to the side edges thereof, and means for producing the plait while the side edges of the material are grasped by the operative.

2. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support for supporting a piece of sheet material, a hammer cooperating therewith for pounding a plait produced in the material in spaced relation to the side edges thereof, and means, mounted in advance of the work support, and through which the sheet material is forced tov locate the leading edge of the material upon the work support while the side edges of the material are grasped by the operative for producing the plait.

3. A plaiting machine having, in combination,

: a work support for supporting a piece of sheet material, a hammer cooperating therewith for pounding a curvilinear plait produced in the material in spaced relation to the side edges thereof, and means, mounted in advance of the work support, and through which the sheet material is forced longitudinally and swung laterally while the side edges of the material are grasped by the operative, to locate the leading edge of the material upon the work support, for producing the curvilinear plait.

4. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support, a pair of cooperating fingers for forming a plait in the work, and a hammer cooperating with the work support to pound the plait.

,5; A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support, a pair of cooperating fingers for forming a plait in the work, and a hammer cooperating with the work support to pound the plait and to draw the work through the fingers.

6; A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support, a pair of cooperating fingers for forming a plait in the work, and a hammer 00- operating with the work support to pound the plait,to draw the Work through the fingers and to feed the plaited work over the work support.

'7. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support, a pair of cooperating fingers having their heels spaced laterally and their toes spaced vertically, engaged, respectively, with the opposite faces of the work, and means cooperating with the work support for drawing the work through the fingers.

8. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support and a pair of work engaging cooperating fingers separate therefrom having their work engaging surfaces elevated one above the other and their adjacent side faces arranged substantially in intersecting vertical planes.

9. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support and a pair of work engaging cooperating fingers separate therefrom having the toes thereof superimposed and spaced vertically and engaged, respectively, with the opposite faces of the work.

10. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support and a pair of work engaging 00- operating fingers separate therefrom having the toes thereof superimposed and spaced vertically and engaged, respectively, with the opposite faces of the work, and about which toes the work may be swung laterally as the work is fed longitudinally therebetween.

11. A plaiting machine having, in combination, a work support and a pair of plaiting cooperating fingers separate therefrom having the toes thereof superimposed and spaced Vertically and engaged, respectively, with the opposite faces of the work, and means for varying the lateral re-'- lationship of the toes of the fingers.

' HOLTON M. SUTHERLAND. 

